National Apprenticeship Week 2018: Why choose engineering?

8 March 2018 by Carl Brennand

Not only is it National Apprenticeship Week, 2018 also marks the Year of Engineering. As a company that has opened its doors to local young people for decades, we’re supporting these government-led initiatives by highlighting the benefits of an engineering career.

So why choose engineering?

Make a difference

Engineers change people’s lives. They create solutions to problems. They build products and machines that save lives and keep people safe. From medical equipment to the latest smartphones, engineers are needed to design, build, maintain and repair the countless things we rely on every day.

Variety is the spice of life

There’s so many routes you can take as an engineer - electrical and/or mechanical for a start. Here at Gibbons we have a workshop dedicated to repairing and rewinding electric motors, while next door we have electricians busy building control panels and just across the way our agricultural fans are being assembled.

Upstairs in the office, you’ll find our Contracts Director designing control systems for machines in food production facilities, water treatment works and universities to name a few. Behind him, we have people specifying electric motors and variable-speed drives to help clients optimise energy efficiency and productivity in their application.

Challenge yourself

Engineering isn’t easy. Qualifying as an engineer requires commitment to practical and theoretical courses, and once on the job you’ll be faced with problems to solve every day. But finding solutions and making things work is extremely satisfying.

Imagine arriving at a factory that’s had a key process break down. Every minute the application’s down is costing the company in lost production. They’re relying on you to get them back up and running. You find the fault, rectify it and get the process up and running again. It’s all in a day’s work for you, but the client is delighted and very grateful for your help.

Limitless opportunities

The sky’s the limit in engineering. With a wide choice of career paths and the chance to work in almost any sector, you’re only limited by your ambition. At Gibbons, many of our apprentices have remained with us for years after qualifying and worked their way up.